MELT! Festival was a colorful, musical journey that took place this last weekend in Ferropolis, an abandoned quarry surrounded by lakes with sandy beaches and fire-spouting steam punk structures, just outside of Berlin's comfortable urban sprawl. Under deep blue skies, festival-goers  – sporting glitter, handmade flower crowns, and effortlessly cool festival style – wore big smiles as they grooved from stage to stage, stopping at adult playgrounds along the way. 

The set up of the festival allowed for a smooth transition from frequency to frequency, made easier by an extravagant light show throughout the grounds. Lights also lined a massive industrial crane left over from the old quarry. Shiny disco balls hung from the rusty, vintage cranes and confetti flew everywhere you turned. Navigating from techno to hip hop to disco, Melt! made it feel like you were always right where you needed to be.

The eclectic lineup had everything from mega pop stars like Kylie Minogue to disco legends Trevor Horn Band, modern Mozart Nils Frahm, to the booming sounds of alt-J and Flume, and rising stars like Ibeyi and Howling. From party animals who went without sleep to kids taking breaks with tea over hookah, everyone rode their own wave. Melt! was hands-down one of most chill (yet euphoric) escapes of the summer.